Cardiff City are set to benefit from the ongoing dispute between Anwar El-Ghazi and Mainz, with the player looking to move to the Championship club.
According to Sky Sports, the former Aston Villa winger is wanting to terminate his contract at the German club to pursue a move to join The Bluebirds. Mainz had originally cancelled the 29-year-old’s contract over social media posts, which was later deemed as wrongful dismissal in a court battle.
El-Ghazi still has one year left on his deal at the Rhineland club following their survival in the Bundesliga, but due to unpaid fees as a result of the court decision, the Dutch international is looking to end his contract and move to the Welsh capital. Cardiff are yet to comment to Sky about the rumour.
A move for the former Everton and Ajax man would be the third signing for Erol Bulut’s side this summer, with fellow winger Chris Willock joining from Queens Park Rangers and Calum Chambers joining for free from Aston Villa.
It was with the Birmingham club that El-Ghazi last featured in the EFL, winning promotion under Dean Smith with a play-off final victory over Derby County. He opened the scoring at Wembley and took a shot which John McGinn rebounded past Kelle Roos to secure the win for Villa.
Should he join City, the Dutch winger would rival Willock and Ollie Tanner for a place in the starting lineup. Josh Bowler was the main first choice at The Bluebirds last season but has since returned to parent club Nottingham Forest.
According to Graeme Bailey, Bowler is being monitored by Championship rivals and favourites Sheffield United on a fourth straight loan move away from the City Ground. He has also featured for Blackpool and Greek giants Olympiacos in past seasons.
Writer’s View
Anwar El-Ghazi would be a great signing for Cardiff City. He has plenty of European experience he can draw from in the Championship and is still in the traditional peak of players at 29 years old. The winger was an instrumental figure in Aston Villa’s promotion season and is probably still good enough to play at a Premier League level. The Bluebirds had a positive last season and with the right signings, could break into the play-offs.
There are still a few areas Cardiff would like to improve ahead of their season opener against Sunderland. Another midfielder would be ideal considering the age profiles of players like Aaron Ramsey, Romaine Sawyers and Joe Ralls. Additionally, with reports that Ryan Wintle will be allowed to leave and Hull City entering the race for target Alex Robertson, Erol Bulut will have to move quickly before they welcome The Black Cats.
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